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'Batman v Superman': Tao Okamoto Is Playing Mercy Graves

At San Diego Comic-Con 2013, director Zack Snyder announced that the follow-up to his divisive film Man of Steel would give fans something they've wanted for years: Batman and Superman sharing the silver screen. That film was eventually titled Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and it will serve as an entry point into an entire shared DC Universe, culminating in a Justice League film and several standalone features starring DC's biggest heroes.

Jump forward two years to San Diego Comic-Con 2015, where a new trailer was revealed for the much anticipated film. This new look at the movie provided plenty of details about the plot and tone of the project, as well as nods to the comic book source material, but left a few lingering questions. One such question - namely who is Tao Okamoto (The Wolverine) playing in the trailer - has finally been answered.

The latest DC All Access video (above) is dedicated to breaking down the Batman V Superman trailer and providing background information on the characters. The video confirms that Okamoto will be portraying Mercy Graves, Lex Luthor's personal assistant/bodyguard, in the film. The role has been rumored for months, but this marks the first official confirmation from DC Entertainment.

Mercy Graves was first introduced in Superman: The Animated Series in 1996. Like Harley Quinn, the character proved popular enough to eventually transition into DC's comic book continuity. Mercy is traditionally depicted as Lex Luthor's bodyguard and assistant, though she has embodied a number of other roles including CEO of LexCorp and a costumed crime-fighter by the name of Vanilla.

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Interestingly, prior to the New 52 relaunch of DC's comic continuity, Mercy was confirmed to be an Amazon from Themyscira. As such, she came from the same island and lineage as Wonder Woman and shares a similar set of powers. While that origin hasn't been confirmed for the film, it could make for some interesting exchanges between the two characters. Wonder Woman is rumored to be hundreds of years old in Batman V Superman and there's no telling what sort of history could exist between the two characters if the writers take this route.

However, the character will most likely be based on her New 52 incarnation, similar to what is expected for Wonder Woman. This version of Mercy is more personal assistant than bodyguard and does a lot of the work in managing LexCorp. In the trailer she is only shown briefly escorting General Zod's body, potentially overseeing research into Kryptonian physiology.

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Either way, it's good to see that another of Bruce Timm and Paul Dini's creations is going to be brought to life on the big screen.